Abstract
Objective The objectives of this study were to examine the reasons patients give for non-adherence to allopurinol and examine differences in intentional non-adherence for patients with and without serum urate at treatment target.
Methods Sixty-nine men with gout attending rheumatology clinics, all prescribed allopurinol for at least six months, completed the Intentional Non-Adherence Scale (INAS). Differences in the types of intentional non-adherence were analysed between those with and without a serum urate (SU) at treatment target (<0.36mmol/L, 6mg/dL).
Results Among most frequently endorsed reasons for not taking their urate lowering medication was because participants wanted to lead a normal life (23%) or think of themselves as a healthy person again (20%). Patients also reported not taking allopurinol as way of testing if they really needed it (22%). Participants with SU above target endorsed significantly more INAS items as reasons for not taking their medicine, had higher medicine-related concerns and were more likely to give testing treatment as a reason for non-adherence. Participants who were younger, single and non-NZ European also endorsed more reasons for not taking their allopurinol.
Conclusion Major reasons behind the decision not to take allopurinol relate to wanting to lead a normal life and the strategy of testing treatment to see if patients could reduce the dose without getting symptoms. The results provide some potentially modifiable targets for adherence interventions and also some indications to clinicians about how urate-lowering treatment may be purposely framed for patients in order to improve adherence.
